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Can I sell copies of old TV shows?
Recording and distributing copyrighted work
Several years ago, a show called the Young Riders aired in syndication. I taped all the episodes and now people are asking me to send them copies of all the episodes. Can I legally charge these individuals $5 per episode due to my time and the wear and tear on my machines?
Unfortunately, your plan runs afoul of basic copyright law. It was permissible to record the episodes for your personal use. But reselling them -- or even distributing them to online friends -- would violate the rights of the person who owns the copyright in the Young Rider episodes.
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